Cactus Jack's Trail Rides - Ocala, Florida

Terry O.

Loved the nature trail and my guided was FREAKING AMAZING!!!!!!. I am a beginner and I felt like the ride was tailored to my long awaited dream of riding a horse. Would definitely recommend this place. Dude was the name of my horse. But Goose shown in the photo is 5 years old and we became buddies even though he was not for riding we bonded in the pasture. He was trying to sing me a love song.

Hazel M.

Very relaxing experience. The horses were very calm and sweet. The guide went out of her way to make sure I was comfortable. The tour through the woods was informative and relaxing. Definitely a great escape from busy city life. The location was easy to find... just overall a smooth, pleasant experience. Thank you!

Deborah B.

A beautiful, heart-warming, and educational experience for all ages!
The owners match you with the perfect horse for your experience level and body type.
I was with "Ivan" (Argentinian polo) and my boyfriend with "River" (American paint). Couldnt have asked for a more perfect match!
I was nervous but was quickly dispelled by how nonchalant, confident, and friendly the horses are. The owners educate you on their individual personality.
Cactus Jacks provides a wonderful life for them. Many (if not all) the horses are retired work horses or the previous owner surrendered them to give them a better life at Cactus Jacks, which only made me appreciate them more!
They live in a large pasture with all their horse friends, lots of mental stimulation, and amazing owners who care for them so deeply!
I was especially happy to hear that Ivan was 25 years old! And still looked so young and healthy! And River has a great personality, as soon as you whip out a camera, he smiles for you!
The trail is so beautiful and I will definitely be coming back here to support Cactus Jack! They are amazing people who love their horses deeply.

Byron H.

Trish and Rob both were some amazing individuals.... both were very social warm welcoming from the beginning... I booked for 2, 9am tour for my wife's bday surprise tour. 90min isn't as bad as it sounds. Tour group was 11 people horse are very well trained easy to handle. For our first ever riding a horse it was awesome. Trish led the group by the front giving out historical facts and information while Rob maintained the rear giving his historical facts and stories. Based off body weight and experience is how your paired with your horse. I had Helga she was by far the biggest horse there and my wife had Ginger. Overall experience was 5 stars i would recommend and plan to return in near future.

Mel B.

Wonderful morning ride with Cactus Jack Trail Rides Warm friendly welcome from the guys, very chatty and obviously love their horses. Great to learn about stories of the horses and the forest we were trekking through. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves … Thank you for the ‘heads up’ on The Dead South - great band love ‘em.

Joe

I took a 90 minute ride while down visiting family. The experience was great. I was well matched with a horse for my skill level (not beginner not expert). Megan our guide was excellent. She knew and readily provided lots of information about both the horses and the trail system. I will be returning on future visits to the area. Horses are clearly well cared for and responsive. It was a walking ride but I would not consider it “nose to tail” either.

Two reasons I am giving 4 instead of 5 stars (and would prefer to give it 4.5/5) First I had wanted to call and ask some questions before booking. I trail ride often and dislike greatly nose to tail experiences so I usually call ahead of a first visit. I was unable to find a good phone number. Second reason the cancellation policy is intimidating. I’ve gone trail riding a half dozen places up and down the east coast. I commonly find a 24 hour cancelation policy. I believe cactus jack requires 3 days advanced cancellation. The lack of a phone number only adds to my concern about the ability to contact someone if I had to cancel. These two factors almost had me choose a competitor (I am glad I didn’t). If these two items were addressed this is an easy 5 star review.

Karen H. T.

This is our second trail ride with Cactus Jacks in Ocala. My daughter loves going each year. This year we brought some first timers ( never sat on a horse kind ) They absolutely loved it. The staff was amazing and very knowledgeable of the area and love the horses. I highly Recommend them to everyone. Thank you again!

Jessi G.

20/10 stars! I’m so happy to have found Cactus Jacks!
We booked a 2 hour trail ride with Helga and River. What great horses they are. Helga is over 18 hands tall and is a massive, yet calm and sweet girl. Don’t let her size fool you, she is PERFECT for a beginner or someone that wants a slow ride. And River is an awesome choice for anyone!
Our guide was Megan, and she was phenomenal! She had lots of great information for us about the area we went through, animals that are found out there and she even spotted some fresh coyote foot prints. We had great conversation, and she swatted down the banana spider webs for us. What a trooper she is!
Thank you to Cactus Jacks and Megan for making my 32nd birthday one to remember!